System and method for additively manufacturing composite wiring harness

ABSTRACT

A method is disclosed for additively manufacturing a composite wiring harness. The method may include directing a plurality of conductors through a print head, directing at least one reinforcement through the print head, and coating at least one of the plurality of conductors and the at least one reinforcement with a matrix material. The method may also include discharging the at least one of the plurality of conductors and the at least one reinforcement with the matrix material from the print head, and exposing the matrix material during discharging to a cure energy to cause hardening of a sheath around the plurality of conductors.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a wiring harness and, moreparticularly, to a system and method for additively manufacturing awiring harness from a composite material.

BACKGROUND

A typical wiring harness is a collection of wires and cables that can beused to transmit power and/or signals throughout a machine. Wiringharnesses are commonly used in the transportation industry, for exampleinside vehicles (e.g., inside aircraft, automobiles, watercraft, andspacecraft). A wiring harness secures the individual wires and cables ina bundle, which is protected from environmental factors, such asabrasion, moisture, contamination, and vibrations. The bundled wireshave a reduced footprint inside of the vehicle, and a time required forassembly of the wiring harness with the rest of the associated vehiclecomponents may be lower than a time associated with assembling eachindividual wire or cable separately.

A wiring harness is generally fabricated as a subassembly via a manualprocess that is separate from assembly of the rest of the vehicle. Forexample, the individual wires and/or cables are manually cut to length,stripped at their ends of associated insolating sheathing, joined toassociated connectors, and laid within a jig corresponding to onespecific vehicle model. After all of the required wires and cables arein the jig, a sleeve (e.g., tape, shrink wrap, conduit, etc.) is placedaround the wires. The subassembly is then complete and can thereafter beaffixed to the vehicle (e.g., via zip ties, push-lock buttons, and/orthreaded fasteners).

Although conventional wiring harnesses may be adequate for someapplications, they can also be problematic. For example, conventionalwiring harnesses can be heavy, expensive, prone to environmentalcontamination and/or damage, and difficult to conform to vehiclecontours. In addition, whenever a change in the wiring harness isrequired (e.g., to accommodate new or additional vehicle components),the associated jig and sleeve may similarly require expensive and/ortime-consuming changes.

The disclosed system, method, and wiring harness are directed toovercoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or otherproblems of the prior art.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a composite wiringharness. The composite wiring harness may include a plurality ofelongated conductors arranged generally parallel to each other. Thecomposite wiring harness may also include at least one connectorconnected to at least one end of at least one of the plurality ofelongated conductors, and a sheath at least partially surrounding theplurality of elongated conductors. The sheath includes at least onereinforcement coated in a matrix material that is cured.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method foradditively manufacturing a composite wiring harness. The method mayinclude directing a plurality of conductors through a print head,directing at least one reinforcement through the print head, and coatingat least one of the plurality of conductors and the at least onereinforcement with a matrix material. The method may also includedischarging the at least one of the plurality of conductors and the atleast one reinforcement with the matrix material from the print head,and exposing the matrix material during discharging to a cure energy tocause hardening of a sheath around the plurality of conductors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 are diagrammatic illustrations of an exemplary wiringharness;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional illustrations of the wiring harness ofFIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary disclosedadditively manufacturing system that may be used to fabricate the wiringharness of FIGS. 1-4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an exemplary wiring harness (“harness”) 10. Inthe disclosed embodiment, harness 10 is intended for use with a machine12. In the disclosed embodiments, machine 12 is a vehicle (e.g., anautomobile—shown in FIG. 2). It is contemplated, however, that harness10 could be used with any other type of mobile and/or stationary machine12. Harness 10 may be configured to transmit power (e.g., electricalpower, light, pressurized fluid, etc.) and/or signals between variouscomponents (e.g., between sensors, controllers, actuators, supplies,sources, instruments, indicators, etc.) of machine 12. Harness 10,regardless of its configuration and intended use, may include aplurality of conductors 14, at least one connector 16 affixed to an endof at least one of conductors 14, and a sheath 18 that at leastpartially surrounds conductors 14.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, conductors 14 may be elongated structuresthat are configured to conduct any type of power and/or signal. Forexample, conductors 14 may include electrical leads (wires and/ormetallic braids), fluid conduits, and/or optical tubes. Conductors 14may be pre-fabricated (i.e., fabricated before manufacture and assemblyof harness 10), and have a core (e.g., a solid or foam core) or a hollowtubular construction. In some embodiments, conductors 14 include both acore (e.g., a metallic core) and an outer tube (e.g., an insulativeand/or shielding outer annular layer or skin). Conductors 14 mayalternatively be fabricated in-situ with the rest of harness 10.Conductors 14 may be different types, have different diameters, be madefrom different materials, and/or have different lengths. Conductors 14may be generally parallel to each other and gathered together into asingle bundle without branching (see FIG. 5), a single bundle withmultiple branches (see FIG. 1), and/or multiple sub-bundles (not shown).Any number of different configurations may be possible.

Any number and type of connector 16 may be joined to any number and typeof conductors 14 within harness 10. Exemplary connectors 16 includeblade connectors, ring and spade connectors, plug connectors, jackconnectors, bus connectors, power connectors, RF connectors, twistconnectors, component connectors, socket connectors, and otherconnectors known in the art. Connectors 16 may be affixed to a single orboth ends of conductors 14 via mechanical means (e.g., crimping,twisting, braiding, bolting, etc.), chemical means (e.g., liquidadhesive, tape, etc.), thermo-mechanical means (e.g., heat shrinking,welding, soldering, brazing, etc.) and/or other means known in the art.

Conductors 14 may have variable properties along their length. Forexample, a cross-sectional size and/or shape may be different atdifferent axial locations along a particular conductor 14. Additionallyor alternatively, a conductivity and resistance may vary; a materialconsist may vary; and other properties known in the art may vary. Forinstance, a particular conductor 14 may include a first electrical leadhaving a larger diameter and being made from aluminum at a firstlocation, and a second electrical lead having a smaller diameter andbeing made from copper at a second location. In this instance, the firstelectrical lead may be joined end-to-end with the first electrical lead(e.g., via soldering or friction welding) to make conductor 14, prior tosubassembly of conductor 14 into harness 10. Conductors 14 may remaingenerally parallel along the length of harness 10, or be twistedtogether (e.g., in circuit pairs—see FIG. 3), so as to reduce electricalinterference between unconnected conductors 14 and/or other componentsof machine 12.

In some applications, one or more functional elements 20 may beconnected to or otherwise form a portion of conductor 14. Functionalelements 20 may include, for example, resisters, capacitors,light-emitting diodes (LED), RFID tags, switches, batteries, fuses,filters (e.g., low-pass filters), etc. For example, a particularconductor 14 may have, at a particular axial distance along its length,an LED that is integrally joined between opposing first and secondelectrical leads. At this location, the LED may function as a continuityindicator, for example, illuminating any time a current of a minimummagnitude passes from the first electrical lead to the second electricallead. Functional elements 20 may become an integral portion ofconductors 14 prior to conductors 14 being sub-assembled into harness10.

Sheath 18 may be configured as a cover, which substantially surrounds(e.g., on at least two sides, and most commonly on at least three sides)one or more bundles of conductors 14 within harness 10. In theembodiment shown in the cross-section of FIG. 4, harness 10 includes afour-sided sheath 18 that forms a complete enclosure around conductors14. Although shown as having generally flat sides, it should be notedthat sheath 18 could alternatively have any number of curved outersurfaces. It is contemplated that sheath 18 may be located immediatelyadjacent (e.g., tightly) against conductors 14 or spaced apart fromconductors 14 (e.g., loosely). When sheath 18 is spaced apart fromconductors, a space may exist between and/or around conductors 14. Insome embodiments, a filler (e.g., a dielectric and/or thermallyinsulating material such as foam or paper) may be placed between and/oraround conductors 14. Sheath 18 may be breathable or impermeable,thermally and/or electrically insulative, flame resistant, electricallyconductive, magnetic, and/or have any other desired characteristic,depending on the application. Sheath 18 may be generally consistent inshape, size, wall thickness, and/or consist along its length, orvariable and customizable, as desired.

For example, sheath 18 may be configured to reduce an electromagneticfield in and/or around conductors 14 that could negatively affectperformance of other electrical components in machine 12. And the makeupof sheath 18 that provides for this reduction could be selectivelyvaried during manufacturing, such that some areas of a particularharness 10 have specific shielding that is greater, lower, or simplydifferent than shielding provided at other areas of harness 10. Forexample, a type of material, an amount of material, a location ofmaterial, a density of material, etc. that is used to makeup sheath 18may be selective varied along the length and annular periphery ofharness 10, as required to provide for the desired functionality ofharness 10 (e.g., to provide a customer-specified electromagneticcapability).

In another example, sheath 18 may be configured to reduce a vibration inand/or around conductors 14 that could negatively affect performanceand/or longevity of harness 10. And the makeup of sheath 18 thatprovides for this reduction could be selectively varied duringmanufacturing, such that some areas of a particular harness 10 havespecific dampening characteristics that are greater, lower, or simplydifferent than dampening provided at other areas of harness 10. Forexample, a type of material, an amount of material, a location ofmaterial, a density of material, etc. that is used to makeup sheath 18may be selective varied along the length and annular periphery ofharness 10, as required to provide for the desired functionality ofharness 10 (e.g., to provide a customer-specified vibration-dampeningcapability).

Sheath 18 may be fabricated from at least a matrix material M. Thematrix material M may include any type of material that is curable. Forexample, the matrix material M may be a liquid resin or a powderedmetal. Exemplary resins include thermosets, single- or multi-part epoxyresins, polyester resins, cationic epoxies, acrylated epoxies,urethanes, esters, thermoplastics, photopolymers, polyepoxides, thiols,alkenes, thiol-enes, and more. After curing (e.g., hardening and/orsintering), the matrix material M may be opaque or transparent,depending on the intended application. In addition, it is contemplatedthat the matrix material M may vary along a length of sheath 18, suchthat some portions have different characteristics than other portions.For example, some portions may be opaque due to use of a specificmatrix, while other portions are transparent due to use of a differentmatrix. Transparent sections of sheath 18 may allow for visualobservation of conductors 14 and/or functional elements 20 inside ofsheath 18. In another example, some portions may have vibration-dampenedsections due to the use of a specific matrix (e.g., a thermoplastic),while other portions may have less dampening due to the use of adifferent matrix (e.g., a thermoset).

In the disclosed embodiments, sheath 18 is also fabricated from areinforcement R that is at least partially coated in the matrix materialM. The reinforcement R may include, for example, chopped and/orcontinuous fibers. When multiple reinforcements R are used together, thereinforcements R may be of the same type and have the same diameter andcross-sectional shape (e.g., circular, square, flat, etc.), or be of adifferent type with different diameters and/or cross-sectional shapes.The fibers may include, for example, carbon fibers, vegetable fibers,wood fibers, mineral fibers, glass fibers, metallic wires, opticaltubes, etc. It should be noted that the term “reinforcement” is meant toencompass both structural and non-structural types of continuousmaterials that can be at least partially encased in the matrix materialM. For instance, to provide the electromagnetic field shieldingdiscussed above, the reinforcements R within sheath 18 could includebraided wiring, solid or perforated foil, suspended metallic particles,and/or an electrically conductive matrix M that is selectively groundedat particular locations. It should also be noted that the transparencyof sheath 18 mentioned above may be affected by both a transparency ofthe matrix material M and a transparency of the reinforcements Rembedded in the matrix material. Accordingly, a transparent matrixcoating applied to carbon fibers may result in a generally opaquematerial, whereas a transparent matrix coating applied to glass fibersmay remain generally transparent.

Sheath 18 may be rigid or flexible at different locations along itslength, depending on mounting requirements within machine 12. Forexample, a central portion 18 a of sheath 18 that is configured to mountdirectly to a frame member or body panel of machine 12 may be generallyrigid, while one or more ends 18 b may be generally flexible. This mayallow for secure connection of central portion 18 a to machine 12, yeteasy manipulation of ends 18 b during joining of connectors 16 to othercomponents. The rigidity/flexibility of sheath 18 may be adjustedthrough the use of different types, amounts, and/or orientations ofmatrix materials M and/or reinforcements R. When sheath 18 is mounteddirectly to the frame member or body panel of machine 12, one or morewalls of sheath 18 maybe omitted, if desired, and the functionalitythereof provided by way of the frame member or body panel.

As shown in FIG. 5, harness 10 may be fabricated via an additivemanufacturing process. The additive manufacturing process may be apultrusion and/or extrusion process, which creates sheath 18 aroundconductors 14 and functional elements 20. In particular, one or moreprint heads 22 may be coupled to a support 24 (e.g., to a robotic arm, agantry, or a hybrid arm/gantry arrangement) that is capable of movinghead(s) 22 in multiple directions during discharge of harness 10, suchthat a resulting longitudinal axis 26 of harness 10 isthree-dimensional. Such a head 22 is disclosed, for example, in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/268,156, which is incorporated herein inits entirety by reference.

Head 22 may be configured to receive or otherwise contain the matrixmaterial M, the reinforcement R, conductors 14, and/or functionalelements 20 described above. In one embodiment, the matrix material Mmay be pressurized inside of head 22 by an external device (e.g., anextruder or another type of pump—not shown) that is fluidly connected tohead 22 via a corresponding conduit (not shown). In another embodiment,the pressure may be generated completely inside of head 22 by a similartype of device and/or simply be the result of gravity acting on thematrix material M. In some instances, the matrix material M inside head22 may need to be kept cool and/or dark in order to inhibit prematurecuring; while in other instances, the matrix material M may need to bekept warm for the same reason. In either situation, head 22 may bespecially configured (e.g., insulated, chilled, and/or warmed) toprovide for these needs.

The matrix material M stored inside head 22 may be used to coat anynumber of continuous conductors 14 and/or reinforcements R, wherein thecoated reinforcements R (if present) make up walls of sheath 18 at leastpartially surrounding conductors 14. The reinforcements R may includesingle strands, a tow or roving of several strands, or a weave of manystrands. The reinforcements R and/or conductors 14 may be coated withthe matrix material M while inside head 22, while being passed to head22, and/or while discharging from head 22, as desired. In someembodiments, a filler material (e.g., chopped fibers) may be mixed withthe matrix material M before and/or after the matrix material M coatsthe reinforcements R. The matrix material M, the dry reinforcements R,reinforcements R already coated with the matrix material M, conductors14, and the filler may be transported into head 22 in any mannerapparent to one skilled in the art. The matrix-coated reinforcements Rand/or conductors 14 may then pass through one or more circularorifices, rectangular orifices, triangular orifices, or orifices ofanother curved or polygonal shape located at a discharge end of head 22,where the conductors 14 are pressed together and surrounded by thereinforcements R (if present). The matrix material M may then be causedto cure by way of one or more cure enhancers (e.g., UV lights and/orultrasonic emitters) 28.

In one example, all of harness 10 is fabricated in a single pass ofprint head 22. For example, conductors 14 (e.g., dry conductors 14 ormatrix-coated conductors 14) may be discharged from a general center ofone or more orifices of head 22, at the same time that matrix-coatedreinforcements R (or only matrix material M) are discharging from aperiphery of conductors 14. Alternatively, one or more walls or wallsections of sheath 18 may be discharged from the orifice(s) of printhead 22 during a first pass (i.e., without any discharge of conductors14), followed by discharging of conductors 14 inside of thealready-discharged and cured walls during a subsequent pass. Thereafter,one or more additional walls or wall sections of sheath 18 may bedischarged from print head 22 over conductors 14 and cured, to therebyclose off sheath 18 around conductors 14. For example, a section ofsheath 18 may be fabricated using a first matrix (e.g., a thermoset andcarbon fibers), followed by filling in of that section with conductors14 and/or a vibration dampening matrix (e.g., a thermoplastic), followedby additional sheath fabrication. It is contemplated that conductors 14may be discharged from print head 22 prior to or without any separatefabrication of sheath 18, if desired. During this discharge, conductors14 may be coated with the matrix material M and at least partiallycured, if desired, to hold conductors 14 in a particular location and/ororientation in preparation for subsequent sheathing (if used). Sheath 18and/or conductors 14 may be printed into free space, onto a buildplatform 30, and/or directly onto panels and/or frame members of machine12, as desired. As described above, when printing directly onto panelsand/or frame members of machine 12, sections of sheathing 18 may beomitted, allowing for the panels and/or frame members to perform theprotective/structural functions of the omitted sections.

As described above, the additive manufacturing processes illustrated inFIG. 5 can be an extrusion process or a pultrusion processes. Forexample, extrusion may occur when the matrix material M, the associatedreinforcements R, and/or conductors 14 are pushed from print head 22during the movement of support 24. Pultrusion may occur after a lengthof matrix-coated reinforcement is connected to an anchor 32 and cured,followed by movement of print head 22 away from anchor 32. The movementof print head 22 away from anchor 32 may cause the reinforcements Rand/or conductors 14 to be pulled from print head 22, along with thecoating of matrix material M.

In one embodiment, anchor 32 may be a connector (e.g., a male connector)configured to couple with the corresponding connector 16 (e.g., a femaleconnector) located at the end of one or more conductors 14. For example,the connector-type anchor 32 may be a permanent fixture that is rigidlyjoined to a print bed 34 and repetitively used during fabrication ofsimilar harnesses. Specifically, after terminal ends of conductors 14are first discharged through the orifice of print head 22, one or moreof the terminal ends may be joined to connector 16 in any manner knownin the art. Connector 16 may then be coupled with anchor 32 (i.e.,without the use of the matrix material M or curing), such thatsubsequent movement of print head 22 away from anchor 32 results in thepulling of conductors 14 (and any associated reinforcements R of sheath18) from print head 22. This may alleviate the need to sever harness 10from anchor 32 after fabrication and/or reduce cleanup needs, in somesituations. It is contemplated that multiple connector-type anchors 32of varying sizes and types may be joined to print bed 34 andrepetitively used during manufacture of harness 10, if desired.

In some embodiments, pultrusion may be selectively implemented togenerate tension in conductors 14 and/or the reinforcements R thatremains within harness 10 after fabrication. In particular, asconductors 14 and/or the reinforcements R are being pulled from printhead 22, conductors 14 and/or the reinforcements R may be caused tostraighten out and/or stretch. The stretching can create tension withinconductors 14 and/or the reinforcements R. As long as the matrix Msurrounding the conductors 14 and/or the reinforcements R cures andhardens while conductors 14 and/or the reinforcements R are stretched,at least some of this tension may remain in conductors 14 and/or thereinforcements R and function to increase a strength of the resultingcomposite harness 10.

Harnesses fabricated via the disclosed pultrusion process may haveincreased strength in an axial direction, due to the residual tension inconductors 14 and/or in the reinforcements R. It is also contemplated,however, that print head 22 could be rotated and/or rotationallyoscillated (e.g. by support 24) during pultrusion, if desired, such thatat least the reinforcements R have a spiraling and/or woven arrangementthat facilitates increased tension-related strength in multipledifferent directions. The spiral- and/or weave-related parameters may beselectively varied to thereby vary characteristics (e.g., stiffness,strength, weight, etc.) of the resulting harness 10 at particular axiallocations.

In addition, because the matrix material M surrounding each conductor 14and/or reinforcement R may be cured and harden almost immediately upondischarge, the force pulling on conductors 14 and/or the reinforcementsR may be continuously varied along the length of harness 10, such thatdifferent segments of the same conductors 14 and/or reinforcements R arestretched by differing amounts. Accordingly, the tensile stress inducedwithin each of the different segments may also be different, resultingin the variable characteristics within the different segments of harness10. This may be beneficial in variably loaded areas of harness 10.

In one exemplary embodiment, some of the reinforcements R within thecomposite material making up one or more portions of harness 10 haveunique characteristics. For example, while a majority of harness 10 maycomprise a structural type fiber (e.g., carbon fibers, glass fibers, oraramid fibers), some portions of harness 10 may include another type offiber (e.g., electrically conductive fibers, optical fibers, shapememory fibers, magnetic fibers, etc.). The other type of fibers may beselectively interwoven with the structural type fibers at strategiclocations. For example, electrically conductive fibers may be located atexposed areas of machine 12, and used as heating electrodes that can beconnected to a power source and used to remove ice from machine 10and/or to otherwise raise an operating temperature of harness 10 towithin a desired zone. Alternative, electrically conductive fibersand/or optical fibers may be located at high-stress regions (e.g., atthe intersection of doors and frames, powertrain components, etc.) andused as strain gauges to detect loading of machine 12 and/or harness 10.In yet another embodiment, fibers fabricated from a shape memory alloy(e.g., Nitonol) may be interwoven with the structural type fibers andselectively energized (e.g., via electricity or heat) to cause flexing(e.g., controlled pulling and/or pushing) of harness 10 that results ina desired performance.

Harnesses fabricated via conventional methods may be limited in theirorientation, length, and/or number of associated branches. That is, theassociated conductors may be generally fixed in the orientation of theassociated jig that was used to make the corresponding harness. However,in the disclosed embodiments, because the matrix M surrounding eachconductor 14 and/or reinforcements R may be cured and harden immediatelyupon discharge, conductors 14 and/or the reinforcements R may be causedto extend into free space following any trajectory and to any length,all without additional support. That is, conductors 14 and/or thereinforcements R may not be required to fit within a specific jig andhave a specific length. This may allow for on-the-fly creation of uniqueharnesses 10.

In the disclosed embodiments, the matrix M within the composite materialmaking up one or more portions of harness 10 has unique characteristics.For example, while a majority of harness 10 may comprise a structuraltype of matrix material (e.g., a conventional UV curable liquid resin,such as an acrylated epoxy), some portions of harness 10 may includeanother type of matrix material (e.g., a pyrolized matrix material, amatrix that remains somewhat flexible, etc.). The other type of matrixmaterial M may be selectively used to coat conductors 14 and/or thereinforcements R at strategic locations. For example, the pyrolizedmatrix may be fed into print head 22 as print head 22 nears an exhaustpipe location of machine 12, such that the resulting sheath 18 mayfunction as a heat shield in these areas. In another example, theflexible matrix may be fed into print head 22 as print head 22 nears ahigh-vibration area of machine 12, such that the resulting sheath 18 maybe more able to accommodate movement without premature or excessivedeterioration.

In some embodiments, one or more hardpoints 36 may be fabricated atpredetermined sites within harness 10 to facilitate assembly andconnection to machine 12. Each hardpoint 36 may be generally devoid ofreinforcements R and/or conductors 14, and fabricated in anticipation ofa subsequent subtractive (e.g., drilling, reaming, tapping, etc.)process. An exemplary hardpoint 36 is shown in FIG. 3, as a mountinglocation for threaded fastening of harness 10 to machine 12. As shown inthis figure, hardpoint 36 has been drilled to receive a correspondingfastener (not shown). By creating hardpoint 36 generally devoid ofreinforcements R and/or conductors 14, the likelihood of the subsequentsubtractive process damaging reinforcements R and/or conductors 14 maybe low. In addition, the subtractive process may be simpler to complete(e.g., easier, quicker, and/or less equipment-damaging) withoutreinforcements R and/or conductors 14 present.

Hardpoints 36 may be fabricated in different ways. For example, printhead 22 may be controlled to diverge reinforcements R and/or conductors14 away from (e.g., flow around) hardpoint 36, such that hardpoint 36 isfilled with only matrix material M. It is contemplated that the matrixmaterial M filling hardpoint 36 may be specifically placed withinhardpoint 36 (e.g., at a time when no reinforcements R and/or conductors14 are being discharged). Cure enhancers 28 (referring to FIG. 5) alsomay be selectively deactivated, blocked, or otherwise adjusted duringfabrication of hardpoints 36, such that the matrix material M that makesup hardpoints 36 is not fully cured. This may allow for easier machiningof hardpoints 36.

Hardpoints 36 may be manufactured to have a perimeter formed fromreinforcements R in a particular configuration. That is, instead ofsimply avoiding reinforcement discharge at the intended locations ofhardpoints 36, print head 22 may instead be caused to follow apredetermined trajectory around hardpoints 36 while discharging extrareinforcements R, such that one or more walls of reinforcements R arecreated at the perimeter. This may allow for increased strength,increased rigidity, and/or improved geometrical tolerances at hardpoints36. Hardpoints 36 may have the same general thickness of surroundingregions or protrude from one or both opposing sides of harness 10, asdesired.

In some embodiments, hardpoint 36 may be fabricated from a material thatis different than a surrounding material of sheath 18. For example,hardpoint 36 may be fabricated from a different matrix material (e.g., asofter, harder, and/or more-easily machined matrix), from a differentmaterial type of reinforcement R, and/or from a different form ofreinforcement R (e.g., chopped fiber or another filler). Thesedifferences may allow hardpoint 36 to have properties tailored forparticular applications.

In one embodiment, hardpoint 36 may be used to selectively tackparticular portions of harness 10 (e.g., junctions, bends, corners,connections, branches, etc.), without the use of any associatedfastener. For example, the matrix material deposited at hardpoint 36 maybe used alone to chemically bond harness 10 to the body panel or framemember of machine 12. The matrix material may be cured via enhancers 28and/or another cure device that is specially formulated to work with theparticular matrix material deposited within hardpoint 38. For instance,the matrix material previously deposited within hardpoint 38 could betemporarily softened and/or liquified during assembly of harness 10 tomachine 12, if desired.

For the purposes of this disclosure, print head 22, support 24, andprint bed 34 may be considered an additive manufacturing system(“system”) 38. In some embodiments, a controller 40 may additionally beprovided as a portion of system 38, and communicatively coupled withprint head 22, support 24, and/or print bed 34. Controller 40 may embodya single processor or multiple processors that include a means forcontrolling an operation of system 38. Controller 40 may include one ormore general- or special-purpose processors or microprocessors.Controller 40 may further include or be associated with a memory forstoring data such as, for example, design limits, performancecharacteristics, operational instructions, matrix characteristics,reinforcement characteristics, conductor characteristics,characteristics of harness 10 and/or machine 12, and correspondingparameters of each component of system 38. Various other known circuitsmay be associated with controller 40, including power supply circuitry,signal-conditioning circuitry, solenoid/motor driver circuitry,communication circuitry, and other appropriate circuitry. Moreover,controller 40 may be capable of communicating with other components ofsystem 38 via wired and/or wireless transmission.

One or more maps may be stored in the memory of controller 40 and usedduring fabrication of harness 10. Each of these maps may include acollection of data in the form of lookup tables, graphs, and/orequations. In the disclosed embodiment, the maps are used by controller40 to determine desired characteristics of cure enhancers 28, theassociated matrix material M, the associated reinforcements R, and/orconductors 14 and/or at different locations within harness 10 relativeto contours of machine 12. The characteristics may include, amongothers, a type, quantity, and/or configuration of reinforcement R,conductors 14, and/or the matrix material M to be discharged at aparticular location within harness 10 and/or on machine 12, and/or anamount, shape, and/or location of desired curing. Controller 40 may thencorrelate operation of support 24 (e.g., the location and/or orientationof print head 22) and/or the discharge of material from print head 22 (atype of material, desired performance of the material, cross-linkingrequirements of the material, a discharge rate, etc.) with the operationof cure enhancers 28, such that harness 10 is produced in a desiredmanner.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The disclosed arrangements and designs of harness 10 may be used toconduct power and/or signals within any type of machine 12. For example,harness 10 may be used in connection with an automobile, an airplane, adrone, a boat, or any other type of machine, where light-weight,low-cost, small-footprint, and high-performance are important. Harness10 may be light-weight due to the use of composite materials. Harness 10may be low-cost due to the reduction in dedicated tooling for eachharness configuration, and due to the ability to redesign and makeon-the-fly adjustments to the configuration of harness 10. Harness 10may have a low footprint due to the ability to print harness 10 in placeon machine 12. In addition, harness 10 may be high-performance due tothe unique ways that particular reinforcements R, conductors 14,functional elements 20, and matrix materials M can be used and laid outwithin harness 10. Operation of system 38 will now be described indetail, with reference to FIG. 5.

At a start of a manufacturing event, information regarding a desiredharness 10 and/or associated machine 12 may be loaded into system 38(e.g., into controller 40 that is responsible for regulating operationof support 24, cure enhancer(s) 28, and/or any other associatedcomponents). This information may include, among other things, a size(e.g., diameter, wall thickness, length, etc.), a contour (e.g., atrajectory), surface features (e.g., ridge size, location, thickness,length; flange size, location, thickness, length; etc.), connectorgeometry (e.g., locations and sizes of couplings, tees, splices, etc.),location-specific matrix stipulations, location-specific reinforcementstipulations, location-specific conductor stipulations, desired curerates, cure locations, cure shapes, cure amounts, hardpoint locations,machine contours, etc. It should be noted that this information mayalternatively or additionally be loaded into system 38 at differenttimes and/or continuously during the manufacturing event, if desired.

Based on the component information, and one or more different (e.g.,different sizes, shapes, and/or types of) reinforcements R, conductors14, and/or matrix materials M may be selectively installed within system38 and/or continuously supplied into print head 22. The correspondingreinforcements R (e.g., prepreg or dry fibers, tows, ribbons, or sheets)may be passed through one or more fiber-teasing mechanisms (e.g.,between the bristles of adjacent brushes, and/or over or aroundprotrusions, etc.—not shown) and the orifice(s) of print head 22, andthereafter connected (along with conductors 14) to a pulling machine(not shown) and/or to a mounting fixture (e.g., to anchor 32 and/orprint bed 34). Installation of the matrix material M may include fillingprint head 22 with resin and/or coupling of an extruder (not shown) toprint head 22.

Print head 22 may be moved by support 24 under the regulation ofcontroller 40 to cause matrix-coated reinforcements R and/or conductors14 to be placed against or on a corresponding anchor 32. Cure enhancers28 may then be selectively activated to cause hardening of the matrixmaterial M surrounding the reinforcements R and/or conductors 14,thereby bonding the reinforcements to anchor 32. In some embodiments,activation of cure enhancers 28 may be unnecessary, and connector 16 maysimply need to be joined to one or more ends of conductors 14 in aconventional manner, and then plugged into the corresponding geometry ofanchor 32.

The component information may then be used to control operation ofsystem 38. For example, the reinforcements R and/or conductors 14 may bepulled through the fiber-teasing mechanism; separated and/or flattened;submerged within the matrix material M, wrung out by any associatedregulating device (not shown); and then discharged through theorifice(s) of print head 22. Controller 40 may selectively cause support24 to move print head 22 in a desired manner at this time, such thataxis 26 of the resulting harness 10 follows a desired trajectory (e.g.,a free-space, unsupported, 3-D trajectory). In addition, cure enhancers28 may be selectively activated by controller 40 during materialdischarge to initiate, speed up, or complete hardening of the matrixmaterial M. Once harness 10 has grown to a desired length, thereinforcements R and/or conductors 14 may be disconnected (e.g.,severed) from print head 22 in any desired manner. In some embodiments,the severed ends of conductors 14 may then be joined to additionalconnectors 16, if desired, thereby completing fabrication of harness 10.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the disclosed harness,system, and method. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilledin the art from consideration of the specification and practice of thedisclosed harness, system, and method. It is intended that thespecification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a truescope being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A composite wiring harness, comprising: aplurality of elongated conductors arranged generally parallel to eachother; at least one connector connected to at least one end of at leastone of the plurality of elongated conductors; and a sheath at leastpartially surrounding the plurality of elongated conductors and formingan outer shell of the composite wiring harness, wherein the sheathincludes: a rigid portion and a flexible portion; and at least one of aglass fiber, a carbon fiber, and an aramid that is continuous throughthe rigid and flexible portions and coated in a thermoset matrixmaterial, the thermoset matrix material having a first performancecharacteristic in the rigid portion and a second performancecharacteristic in the flexible portion.
 2. The composite wiring harnessof claim 1, wherein a characteristic of at least one of the thermosetmatrix material and the at least one of the glass fiber, the carbonfiber, and the aramid fiber is different between the rigid and flexibleportions.
 3. The composite wiring harness of claim 1, wherein theplurality of elongated conductors are visible through only a portion ofthe sheath.
 4. The composite wiring harness of claim 1, wherein the atleast one of the glass fiber, the carbon fiber, and the aramid fiber isgenerally parallel with the plurality of elongated conductors.
 5. Thecomposite wiring harness of claim 1, wherein the plurality of elongatedconductors includes at least one of a solid and semi-solid core.
 6. Thecomposite wiring harness of claim 5, wherein the plurality of elongatedconductors further includes an insulating outer annular layer.
 7. Thecomposite wiring harness of claim 1, wherein the plurality of elongatedconductors includes a hollow tubular structure.
 8. The composite wiringharness of claim 1, wherein the sheath provides electromagnetic fieldshielding.
 9. The composite wiring harness of claim 8, wherein theelectromagnetic field shielding is variable along a length of thecomposite wiring harness.